Orcas Island Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands of Washington State

There has been a fishing derby out of Deer Harbor Marina this weekend and just about every boat in the derby brought back a chinook (king) salmon. The largest so far is 27 lbs with most being in the mid 20 lb range. Nothing like the really big chinook of years ago but still a fairly good sign that there are lots of fish here.

J and K pod have been either on the west side of San Juan Island or in Georgia Strait following the salmon up to the Fraser River. L pod has been in but they usually leave after a few days here. The go out to sea and return in a week or so.

This is the best time of year to be out on the water to see the southern residents.

For more info on Chinook salmon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_salmon

Great day yesterday with J and K pod. And another day of avoiding the worts of the wind in the Straits. Check out one of our happy faces.

Some of J pod came through Pole Pass into Deer Harbor. They looked a little confused before they came through the pass, probably because over half of the whales had never been through there before so the elders had to lead the way.

We saw J-2 today, also known as Granny. This year, 2010, she is estimated to be 100 years old. And still going strong I might add. Happy Birthday Granny!!

J and L pod are coming in towards the islands from the Pacific as I write this. Yeah!!!!!

What a surprise to meet up with T40, T86A and her offspring off of the Shaw Island ferry dock. T-40 also known as Captain Hook has been around for quite a while. Notice from the photo the distinctive dorsal fin, very broad at the base and bent on the top. He’s one of the transients that can be out for the area for years only to make an appearance and be gone again. They came through Deer Harbor later in the evening.

Thank you Jeff from Emerald Seas Whale Watching for sending me this great photo.